In general, the revision rate for medical implants is growing at a very rapid rate and as the number of patients who have received implants increases, this revision rate will only continue to grow. Patient records may not include specific or accurate identifying information about objects that have been implanted secondary to poor record keeping, lost records or non-existent records due to international travel. The record may indicate that a device was implanted but may not include the specific model, lot, size, varying combinations or other information about the particular implant.
Currently, one method to identify an implant involves x-raying the implant and e-mailing that x-ray to one or more experienced manufacturer representative and asking them to guess at the identity of the implant. Incorrect implant identification can potentially delay onset of surgery, prolong length of surgical time, increase surgical complexity, increase morbidity and/or mortality secondary to increased infections or prolonged anesthetic time, degrade the quality of post-operative mechanical or functional outcome, or increase the potential for additional revision surgery. All of the aforementioned complications will ultimately increase the cost of care.